Wikispaces
Wikispaces is a hosting service which allows individuals all over the world to create wikis with various subjects. Wikis are essentially websites which allow users all over the world to easily create websites through the use of simple tools which are embedded into the site itself. Subjects which can be covered range from education to politics to sports and recreation. Members can create as many wikis as they need. Wikispaces allows it's members to customize each page on their wiki through the use of widgets. Widgets give a member the ability to add audio/video, custom documents/spreadsheets, maps and even a built in chat/IM client which would allow people viewing the page to communicate and collaborate at the same time.
Wikispaces also has several security options available to secure each individual page. Creators can setup their wikis to to be public or protected by default. Public wikis are able to be edited by anyone who visits the wiki. Wikipedia is an excellent example of this. Protected wikis can be viewed by anyone, but only members of the individual wiki can make any edits. Additional security settings are available for an annual fee.
Wikispaces easy of use and security settings allow this tool to be easily incorporated into an educational environment. Administrators can create one wiki to easily share information with their staff throughout the school year. The same administrator can create a second wiki, under the same account, to share information, like important dates and student accomplishments, with their parents. Teachers can easily incorporate wikis in their classroom. A simple wiki could be created to post daily homework assignment and other important information. Teachers who are more comfortable with technology can truly bring their wikis to life. For example, a high school communication arts teacher covering Shakespeare could create a running podcast or vodcast for their students to listen to Hamlet during their busy day. The teacher could also embed video from TeacherTube or Youtube to supplement the lessons covered in class. Assignments could be posted with each podcast and submitted via Wikispaces's Discussion Area or a document in GoogleDocs. Both teachers can use easily setup the RSS feed feature to allow students and parents to be automatically notified when a new post is made. This simple example shows how this tool can be effectively use to increase student participation and performance in and out of the classroom.
Wikispaces
Wikispaces is a hosting service which allows individuals all over the world to create wikis with various subjects. Wikis are essentially websites which allow users all over the world to easily create websites through the use of simple tools which are embedded into the site itself. Subjects which can be covered range from education to politics to sports and recreation. Members can create as many wikis as they need. Wikispaces allows it's members to customize each page on their wiki through the use of widgets. Widgets give a member the ability to add audio/video, custom documents/spreadsheets, maps and even a built in chat/IM client which would allow people viewing the page to communicate and collaborate at the same time.
Wikispaces also has several security options available to secure each individual page. Creators can setup their wikis to to be public or protected by default. Public wikis are able to be edited by anyone who visits the wiki. Wikipedia is an excellent example of this. Protected wikis can be viewed by anyone, but only members of the individual wiki can make any edits. Additional security settings are available for an annual fee.
Wikispaces easy of use and security settings allow this tool to be easily incorporated into an educational environment. Administrators can create one wiki to easily share information with their staff throughout the school year. The same administrator can create a second wiki, under the same account, to share information, like important dates and student accomplishments, with their parents. Teachers can easily incorporate wikis in their classroom. A simple wiki could be created to post daily homework assignment and other important information. Teachers who are more comfortable with technology can truly bring their wikis to life. For example, a high school communication arts teacher covering Shakespeare could create a running podcast or vodcast for their students to listen to Hamlet during their busy day. The teacher could also embed video from TeacherTube or Youtube to supplement the lessons covered in class. Assignments could be posted with each podcast and submitted via Wikispaces's Discussion Area or a document in GoogleDocs. Both teachers can use easily setup the RSS feed feature to allow students and parents to be automatically notified when a new post is made. This simple example shows how this tool can be effectively use to increase student participation and performance in and out of the classroom.